The Soviet supersonic interceptor fighter MiG-25 was equipped with a turbojet engine that "guzzled fuel and was extremely inefficient." It was replaced by the long-range interceptor fighter MiG-31. The new aircraft could be described in just 4 words: "very fast, very powerful," writes military expert Ruben F. Johnson in an article for 19fortyfive.
The MiG-25 was created in a hurry to counter the American SR-71 Blackbird fighter.
The development of the MiG-31 by Soviet engineers was "a leap of several levels." It was built from lightweight metal alloys. The fighter was equipped with a D-30F6 turbofan engine with an afterburner, which was "not as gluttonous" as that of the MiG-25.
For more than 40 years, the MiG-31 has been improved. The aircraft launched R-33 and R-37 missiles. Later, the modified fighter became a carrier of the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic aviation complex.
Johnson claims that the Russian Aerospace Forces are armed with several modifications of the MiG-31, including the MiG-31K. According to him, the designers have plans to arm the interceptor fighter with new air-to-surface missiles in addition to the Kinzhal.
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